Friday, September 20, 2013

Boardwalk Empire: Resignation

Guess who's back? None other than our old friend Van Alden! If you are like me, you've probably been wondering what became of him. It seems that our buddy Nelson is still hiding out in Chicago and is working full time as a deliveryman/head cracker for Dean O'Banion. Having two kids and a wife who likes nice things is expensive and Mrs. Mueller is spending the little that they have on furniture.

Van Alden gets the opportunity to make some extra cash when O'Banion sends him to Cicero to help Al Capone keep voters in line during the upcoming elections. O'Banion wants him to keep and eye on Alan Frank.

Harrow is still playing catch up with his sister Emma. Boy, has this lady had a tough year. We learn that she had to endure their father's death that April, married her husband Gerald in May, only to have him die in November. On top of it all, she is pregnant and on the verge of losing the house that she and Richard grew up in.

Richard has become a hired hit man for a man named Carl Billings. When Richard tries to carry out the assassination of one of Billings' former partners, he can't bring himself to do it. As a matter of fact, Richard can't even bring himself to put his sister's dying dog out of it's misery because he has grown so sick of killing.

Richard might want to get it together, though. Billings shows up after Richard leaves and ends up doing the deed himself. When Billings discovers the book that Richard left behind with the tax bill for the farm inside of it, he calls Richard posing as someone from the tax office. I doubt that he was doing that with the intent of making a donation toward paying down the debt.

Thanks to the untimely passing of his partner, Agent Knox has taken over prohibition enforcement in Atlantic City. Nucky is not feeling this guy at all and says that he will only be dealing with Eli from this point on.

Kessler is back to waiting on Nucky hand and foot but he's still not fully recovered from being shot last season. Poor guy is too proud to ask for help and a life of service is all that he has ever known. Nearly dying has also made Kessler realize that Nucky tends to treat him like crap on the bottom of his shoe and threatens to resign.

Samuel has brought his parents to meet Chalky, see his new club, and discuss wedding plans. It seems that Samuel has learned a few cues from hanging around these criminals and quickly users his folks out of the room when he sees Dunn aka Sweetback lurking in the shadows.

Cora mysteriously reappears at Chalky's club with a mysterious man named Dr. Valentin Narcisse. When Alma jumped out of that window the night Dickey was killed, she ran straight to Dr. Narcisse. Dickey was employed by Dr. Narcisse and he wants Chalky to compensate him for the loss of income. And did I mention that this broad is crying rape?

Of course, Chalky is not trying to part with any of his cash and doesn't feel like there is anything more to discuss. Rather than get visibly upset when Chalky tells him to suck it, Dr. Narcisse orders all of the talent in Chalky's club, all who happen to be under contract with him, to stop performing.

No performers means no money coming in, so Nucky gets involved. To get their performers back on stage and make the mysterious case of Dickey Pastor go away, Nucky offers Dr. Narcisse 10% of the club revenue. Chalky wasn't too happy about that but what other choice was there?

With all of the F-Bombs that Chalky was dropping and the condescending way that Dr. Narcisse handled him, I think that these two men will come to blows at some point. On the way back to New York, Dr. Narcisse shows that he never bought Alma's BS rape story and only used it to advance his business dealings.

Remember Nucky's land that Margaret donated to the church out of spite? The diocese is about to begin building a church on it and Nucky is determined to get his cut of the deal that was in place before Margaret tried absolving her sins with her little donation.